Control for electric-lighting systems.



0. F. KETTERING. CONTROL FOR ELECTRIC LIGHTING SYSTEMS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.10, 1911.

Patented July 1, 191 3.

AIl'flr'ne 5.

UNlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES E. KETTERING, 0F DAYTON, OHIO, ASSIQ'NORTO THE DAYTON ENGINEERING LABORATORIES GO.,-,A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

CONTROL FOR ELECTRIC-LIGHTING SYSTEMS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 10, 1911.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES F. KETTER- ING, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dayton, county of Montgomery, and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Control for Electric-Lighting Systems, of which the following isa full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to an improvement in electric lighting systems and is more particularly designed to be employed in systems of this character as applied to land, water and aerial vehicles.

One of the main objects of the present invention resides in the provision of means,

whereby certain sets of lamps of an electric lighting system may be extinguished temporarily and other sets of lamps of the sys tem, which are normally cut out, may be lighted.

The following description of the present invention will be directed. to the system, as applied to motor vehicles, not with the intention of limiting the invention to such, but simply because of the fact that the invention is especially adaptable to automobiles employing an electric lighting system.

Practically all of the automobiles now in use, which employ an electric lighting equipment, include a powerful set of headlights, generally known as search lights, which give forth an extremely brilliant'and blinding light, and a set of less powerful lamps, known as side lamps.

While it is practically necessary to employ headlights of this character, when driving throughthe country or on unlighted thoroughfares, it is equally desirable that some means be provided, whereby these headlights may be temporarily extinguished, as when meeting pedestrians or vehicles approaching from the opposite direction, inasmuch as the brilliancy of these lights is often the cause of a substantial blinding effect on the drivers of approaching vehicles, and has been the'direct or indirect cause of many serious accidents. It is equally dc sirable to have some means, whereby the side lights of the system may be temporarily lighted, during the time that theheadlights are extinguished, so as to leave the can with a portion of its lighting equipment,'rather than to cause the entire lighting equipment.

to be cut out.

A further object ofthe present invention is to provide a'supplemental switch, adapted, when closed, to temporarily open the headlight circuit and to simultaneously close a circuit through the side lamps, regardless of the position of the main or permanent switch of .said circuit.

Further and incidental-objects will appear as the description of the invention progresses, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, whereina preferred form of one embodiment of the present invention is shown diagrammatically.

Referring to the diagrammatic showing, the numeral 20 designates a source of'electrical energy which may be either an ac cumulator or a current generator of some approved type. One pole of the accumulator has a wire 21 which connects directly with the movable member of switch 22, while the wire 25 which extends from the opposite pole-of the battery, connects with the stationary member of said switch, communicating withthe sets of side lamps 24:.

The normal circuit for the side lamps 24:, will be 'obviousfrom the above and it 'will be seen that the circuit may be permanently opened or closed through the operation of the main switch22.

The normal circuit for'the headlights 36, will be as follows: from the battery 20, through wire21, into the branch wire 31, thence through switch 30, wire 32, through the normally closed cooperating contact plates 33 and 34, of the combined circuit maker and breaker, through wire 35, passing through lamps 36, back to the battery, via wire 25, it being obvious that the switch 30 controls the open or closed condition of the circuit. Y

The supplemental control spoken of heretofore, for simultaneousl cutting 011' the headlamps and lighting t e side lamps temporarily,1sefi'ected by means of what is here termed a temporary or resilient switch 43, located in some position convenient for the driver ofthe vehicle to. actuate, the ,preferred locationof this switch, being on the steering wheel. This switch is normally held in open position by means of the spring 45, and it Wlll therefore be seen that only. when the driver exerts enough pressure to overcome the influence of the spring, will the switch be closed. This switch forms a part of the supplcmental circuit 42, tapped into the main line wires 21 and 25, and includes anelectroma net com risin the coil 41, and the soft iron core 4,0.

Directly in alinement with one end of the core a0, a pivoted armature 39 is positioned, one end of which is provided with an insulated button 26,- which is normally located adjacent to an insulated finger 38, of the combined circuit maker and breaker. This combined circuit maker and breaker is indirectly controlled by the opening and closing of the switch as. The construction of the circuit maker and breaker comprises the above referred to insulated linger 38, having a pair of oppositely disposed contact plates 28 and 33, secured to the opposite sides thereof, and adapted to cooperate with the stationary plates 27 and 34 respectively.

As has been stated heretofore, the niovable plate 33 and the stationary plate 3% of the, circuit maker and breaker, normally comprises a portion of the headlight circuit, the contact between the said plates being normally closed. The other two cotiperating plates 27 and 28, are connected respectively, with the wires 26 and 29, which in turn are tapped onto the main line wires 21 and 25 respectively, the wire 26 being tapped onto the side lamp circuit, on one side of the switch 22, while the wire 29 connects with said circuit on the other side of switch 22, whereby a shunt circuit will be formed through the wire 26, contact plates 27 and 28, and wire 29, around the switch 22, at such' times as the plate 28 is moved into contact making position with the plate 27.

The operation or the device will be as follows: Should it be desired to temporarily out out or extinguish the head lamps 36 and to simultaneously light or cut in the side lamps 2d, the operator of the vehicle simply presses the movable element or switch 48 to close the supplemental circuit d2. causes the flow of current to pass through the coil 41 of the electro-magnet and the consequent energizing of the core 40. As soon as the core becomes energized, the armature 39, will be immediately attracted thereto and with-the movement of one portion of said armature toward the magnet, a consequent outward movement of the other portion of said armature, will tend to shift the movable element of the combined circuit maker and breaker, this movable element comprising an insulated finger 38 and the attached contact plates 28 and 33. This movement of the circuit maker and breaker will cause the breaking of the main line of the head lamp circuit and the closing of the side lamp circuit, through the shunt circuit, comprising wire 26, contact plates'27 and 28 and wire 29, so that regardless of the open condition of the switch 22, current will be passed into the side lamps and the same maintained in lighted condition as long as This manner:

the contact is maintained between the plates 27 and 28. As soon as the driver of the vehicle desires to light the head lamps of his lighting equipment, he merely releases pressure from the switch 43, which action will cause the core 40 to become deenergized and the consequent return of the various -movable elements of the system to their normal position.

in the specification, l have referred to permanent or main switches, and it is to be understood that the word permanent is simply directed to the switches normally used in systems oi this character, whereby the circuits of the various sets of lamps be opened or closed for any desired length of time, by a single operation or the switches of the respective circuits.

l/Vhile the invention herewith shown and described, comprises a preferred. form of one embodiment of said invention, T desire it to be understood that various changes may be made therein, which come within the scope of the following claims.

lVhat T claim is as follows 1. in a portable lighting system, the combination with a plurality of independent sets of lamps, having circuit-connections; inde pendent switches cont-rolling the opening and closing of eachvoif said circuits; and a supplemental switch controlling an independent circuit itor temporarily opening one of said circuits which may be closed, and closin one of said circuits which may be opened.

2. In an electric lighting system for vehicles, independent head and side lamps, having circuit connections; independent switches for controlling the open and closed condition of each of said circuits; and a supplemental switch for temporarily opening the circuit connection with the head lights when said circuit connections are normally closed and temporarily closing the circuit through the side lamps when the normal circuit thereof is opened.

3. In an electric lighting system for vehicles, the combination with a source of electrical energy; independent sets or? head and side lamps, having circuit connections therewith; switches. for controlling said circuit connections; or a combined circuit maker and breaker normally forming a part or the circuit connections of the set of head lamps; and electrically controlled means, for operating said combined circuit maker and breaker, to open the circuit of the set of head lamps when the same is normally closed, and to close the circuit connections with the set of side lamps when the same is normally opened.

a. In an electric lighting system, the combination with a plurality of independent sets of lamps; a source of electrical energy, independent circuit connections therebetween; independent manually operated switches for controlling said circuitconnections; and means fortemporarily opening one of said normally closed circuits, independent of said switch mechanism and to close another of said circuit connections independent of the normally opened switches thereof.

5. In an electric lighting system, the com-.

bination with a lurality of independent sets of lamps; an e ectrical source; and 1 circuit connections therebetween; of switches for controlling said circuits, operable independently and concurrently to open and close said circuits independently and concurrently; and a supplemental circuit having a separate manually operable switch, said sup lemental circuit embodying means for closmg one of the lamp'circuits and openl'n another, independent of the switches locate in said lamp circuits when the manually operated switch is operated to close the supplemental circuit.

6. In an electric lighting system, the combination with a plurality of independent sets of lamps, having circuit connections; in-

dependent switches controlling the opening and closing of each of said circuits; and asupplemental circuit embodying normally closed contact elements included in one of the lamp circuits; and a manual switch for closing said supplemental circuit to open said normally closed contact elements and to concurrently close one of the other lamp circuits. u

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in the presence of'two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES F. KETTERING;

Witnesses:

EARLE Wnmonn, jCnAs. J. RAnnoLrH. 

